Primary Source Document DEALING WITH MING CHINA
with Questions (DBQs)
A N I M P E R I A L E D I C T R E S T R A I N I N G O F F I C I A L S F R O M E V I L
B y t h e H o n g w u E m p e r o r ( Z h u Y u a n z h a n g )
Introduction
Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398) rose from obscure poverty to become a military strongman and founder of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Born into a poor family in modern Anhui province and orphaned at an early age, Zhu spent some time as a Buddhist beggar-monk before joining one of the many rebellions against the crumbling government of the Yuan dynasty. Although barely literate, Zhu proved a capable leader of men and a successful general. He founded the Ming dynasty in 1368, chased the hapless Mongols back to Mongolia, and established his dynastic capital in the city of Nanjing.
In the document below, Zhu Yuanzhang, as the Hongwu Emperor, reminds his civil and military officials that they are to “refrain from evil.”
An Imperial Edict Restraining Officials from Evil
By the Hongwu Emperor (Zhu Yuanzhang)
… Those of you in charge of money and grain have stolen them for yourselves; those of
you in charge of criminal laws and punishments have neglected the regulations. In this way grievances are not redressed and false charges are ignored. … Occasionally these unjust matters come to my attention. After I discover the truth, I capture and imprison the corrupt, villainous, and oppressive officials involved. I punish them with the death penalty or forced labor or have them flogged with bamboo sticks in order to make manifest the consequences of good and evil actions.
Questions: 1. On what philosophical assumptions are the Hongwu emperor’s words and actions based?
A) It is basically trying to threat and do cruel things to citizens if they make wrong choices on their jobs, then they would die.
2. Do you think that his actions will solve the problems he refers to? Why or why not?
A) No, because he did not think punishing was a good thing to do.
“Alas, how easily money and profit can bewitch a person! With the exception of the
righteous person, the true gentleman, and the sage, no one is able to avoid the temptation of
money. …
… during the final years of the Yuan dynasty, there were many ambitious men
competing for power who did not treasure their sons and daughters but prized jade and silk,
coveted fine horses and beautiful clothes, relished drunken singing and unrestrained pleasure,
and enjoyed separating people from their parents, wives, and children. I also lived in that
chaotic period. How did I avoid such snares? I was able to do so because I valued my
reputation and wanted to preserve my life. Therefore I did not dare to do these evil things.
…
In order to protect my reputation and to preserve my life, I have done away with music,
beautiful girls, and valuable objects. Those who love such things are usually “a success in the
morning, a failure in the evening.” Being aware of the fallacy of such behavior, I will not
indulge such foolish fancies. It is not really that hard to do away with these tempting things.
[Translated by Lily Hwa]
Questions:
1. Does the emperor’s approach to solving the problem of evil behavior in this excerpt differ from that in the first? If so, how?
A) It differs from the first such as the emperor is trying to control the citizens by punishing (threatening) them.
2. On what philosophical assumptions are Hongwu’s words here based? Think Chinese philosophy.
A) Hongwu's words are based on the Confucius philosophy, the Confucianism.
3. As an official, what would be your reaction to the emperor’s admonitions?
A) It would be shocking if emperor gave up on women, art, music, temptation, and other objects that valuable things.
4. The emperor clearly holds himself up as a model of self-restraint officials to emulate. As an official, how would you take this?
A) Good behavior should be supported but evil behavior should be punished considered by the emperor.
5. Would your reaction be changed if you suddenly learned that the Hongwu emperor had dozens of concubines and consorts, with whom he fathered twenty-six sons and sixteen daughters?
A) It would be disappointing how people could be so hypocritical against gaining the power over the public.
DAY TWO
Holy Roman Emperor: Sail through the Adriatic Sea, go to south port of Italy, sail over to Egypt, and cross the land until you get to Indian Ocean. After that, you pass through the Malacca Strait and arrive to curve of China.
Emperor of Byzantine: Follow the coast around Africa by boat, pass the Malacca Strait and go north to the curve of China.
Doge of Venice: Sail across Mediterranean Sea until you get to the tip of Egypt, make a trip to the Red Sea and through the Gate of Grief which flows up to the Indian Ocean, sail through Malacca Strait, and go north to the curve of China.
England, France, Castille, and Portugal: These countries are outer part of Europe so they could sail around the coast of Africa, sail through Indian Ocean, go through Malacca Strait, and go up north to the curve of China.
Look carefully at the Yuan and Ming Dynasties and make some generalizations about China under those dynasties. Size? Change from previous dynasties? From your reading, make any observations you can about the two time periods.
A) The Ming Dynasty lost their Northern part of their territory, however the Yuan Dynasty had much more territory conquered. As the time passed, the territory seemed to be increasing in size overall. The Ming Dynasty made success on expanding and building turrets (watchtowers) around the Great Wall however it was repaired on the Qin Dynasty. While the Ming Dynasty was restoring glory, the Yuan Dynasty had not restore any glory.
While reading pages 49-50, explain some of the factors that affected the Chinese attitudes toward foreigners.
A) Due to the Europeans' lack of technology and knowledge of science, Chinese did not consider them as friendly, however, later on they got more close to make Europeans to join the Chinese tribute system.
On p. 53 Menzie notes that the new walled capital was to be "fifteen hundred times the area of walled London at that time and housing fifty times the population". SO, using your math skills, refer to the following map and figure out how big that new capital would be. A) The new capital would be 75,000km and it could house 2.5 million people.
Compare the map of the great walled capital Zhu Di built (above) to the map of modern China (below). The Forbidden City is now the Palace Museum, and is located at the centre of the map below: Can you find the old city in the modern city? Where is it? What is there now? A) The forbidden city inside the imperial city and look for a small, square boxed.
On p. 54, Menzies writes that Zhu Di extended the Great Wall (which is actually many separate sections of wall created over hundreds of years) from 5,000 kms to 6,400 kms. You'll notice, that doesn't mean that the wall was 6,400 kms long. If it WAS, where would it reach if it began at the Yalu River? Use the map in MWH Atlas p A18-19 to estimate where you would end up if the wall really extended 6,400 kms due west of Beijing.
A) The Great Wall was extended 6400km from Beijing, then the Hwang River would last up next to it.
Also on p. 54, Zhu Di sent expeditions along the The "Silk Road", along which Chinese traders journeyed to sell their silks, spices, porcelain and other valuable commodities. This was actually a web of many routes that extended from Xi'an into the heart of the Islamic world. It was clear he wanted to recreate the earlier trading empire of the Chinese. Question: Through what MODERN countries did the silk roads go? A) The silk road goes through India, China, Persia, Egypt, and Arabia.
October 7, 2011 C.W
Zheng He's fleet made 7 voyages in all, dying on his last one, in 1433. When his ships returned to China, the political situation had changed dramatically. In fact, soon after the great Treasure Fleet left Tanggu, Zhu Di suffered a series of disasters that suggested to everyone that he had lost the "mandate of heaven" -- the approval of Heaven for his rulership.
When you get to p. 75, read to the bottom of p. 77. Stop at the paragraph beginning "Thereafter the Qazi..." Is there evidence here that Zhu Di truly did not understand what was happening to his rule? A) Zhu Di did not understand what was happening to his rule because he was poisoned and fell off from the horse. His head was hardly damaged.
Start up again on the bottom of p. 78 (from "Apparently abandoned by heaven..."). List all the things that happened to the old emperor near the end of his life. A) He was humiliated, distraught and ill, abandoned by heaven, and mounting political problems.
Finally read the edict of the new emperor, Zhu Di's son, Zhu Gaozhi, on the very day he ascended the throne, pp 81-85, beginning "All voyages of the treasure ships are to be stopped." Explain how this edict changed the history of not only China but of the WORLD. How did this leave open the "door" for Europe to take center stage now?
A) If China backs off from the center stage, it would create a great vacuum. China thought that technology was the best to develop on. In specifically, military technology was important.
with Questions (DBQs)
A N I M P E R I A L E D I C T R E S T R A I N I N G O F F I C I A L S F R O M E V I L
B y t h e H o n g w u E m p e r o r ( Z h u Y u a n z h a n g )
Introduction
Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398) rose from obscure poverty to become a military strongman and founder of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Born into a poor family in modern Anhui province and orphaned at an early age, Zhu spent some time as a Buddhist beggar-monk before joining one of the many rebellions against the crumbling government of the Yuan dynasty. Although barely literate, Zhu proved a capable leader of men and a successful general. He founded the Ming dynasty in 1368, chased the hapless Mongols back to Mongolia, and established his dynastic capital in the city of Nanjing.
In the document below, Zhu Yuanzhang, as the Hongwu Emperor, reminds his civil and military officials that they are to “refrain from evil.”
An Imperial Edict Restraining Officials from Evil
By the Hongwu Emperor (Zhu Yuanzhang)
… Those of you in charge of money and grain have stolen them for yourselves; those of
you in charge of criminal laws and punishments have neglected the regulations. In this way grievances are not redressed and false charges are ignored. … Occasionally these unjust matters come to my attention. After I discover the truth, I capture and imprison the corrupt, villainous, and oppressive officials involved. I punish them with the death penalty or forced labor or have them flogged with bamboo sticks in order to make manifest the consequences of good and evil actions.
Questions:
1. On what philosophical assumptions are the Hongwu emperor’s words and actions based?
A) It is basically trying to threat and do cruel things to citizens if they make wrong choices on their jobs, then they would die.
2. Do you think that his actions will solve the problems he refers to? Why or why not?
A) No, because he did not think punishing was a good thing to do.
“Alas, how easily money and profit can bewitch a person! With the exception of the
righteous person, the true gentleman, and the sage, no one is able to avoid the temptation of
money. …
… during the final years of the Yuan dynasty, there were many ambitious men
competing for power who did not treasure their sons and daughters but prized jade and silk,
coveted fine horses and beautiful clothes, relished drunken singing and unrestrained pleasure,
and enjoyed separating people from their parents, wives, and children. I also lived in that
chaotic period. How did I avoid such snares? I was able to do so because I valued my
reputation and wanted to preserve my life. Therefore I did not dare to do these evil things.
…
In order to protect my reputation and to preserve my life, I have done away with music,
beautiful girls, and valuable objects. Those who love such things are usually “a success in the
morning, a failure in the evening.” Being aware of the fallacy of such behavior, I will not
indulge such foolish fancies. It is not really that hard to do away with these tempting things.
[Translated by Lily Hwa]
Questions:
1. Does the emperor’s approach to solving the problem of evil behavior in this excerpt differ from that in the first? If so, how?
A) It differs from the first such as the emperor is trying to control the citizens by punishing (threatening) them.
2. On what philosophical assumptions are Hongwu’s words here based? Think Chinese philosophy.
A) Hongwu's words are based on the Confucius philosophy, the Confucianism.
3. As an official, what would be your reaction to the emperor’s admonitions?
A) It would be shocking if emperor gave up on women, art, music, temptation, and other objects that valuable things.
4. The emperor clearly holds himself up as a model of self-restraint officials to emulate. As an official, how would you take this?
A) Good behavior should be supported but evil behavior should be punished considered by the emperor.
5. Would your reaction be changed if you suddenly learned that the Hongwu emperor had dozens of concubines and consorts, with whom he fathered twenty-six sons and sixteen daughters?
A) It would be disappointing how people could be so hypocritical against gaining the power over the public.
DAY TWO
Holy Roman Emperor: Sail through the Adriatic Sea, go to south port of Italy, sail over to Egypt, and cross the land until you get to Indian Ocean. After that, you pass through the Malacca Strait and arrive to curve of China.
Emperor of Byzantine: Follow the coast around Africa by boat, pass the Malacca Strait and go north to the curve of China.
Doge of Venice: Sail across Mediterranean Sea until you get to the tip of Egypt, make a trip to the Red Sea and through the Gate of Grief which flows up to the Indian Ocean, sail through Malacca Strait, and go north to the curve of China.
England, France, Castille, and Portugal: These countries are outer part of Europe so they could sail around the coast of Africa, sail through Indian Ocean, go through Malacca Strait, and go up north to the curve of China.
Look carefully at the Yuan and Ming Dynasties and make some generalizations about China under those dynasties. Size? Change from previous dynasties? From your reading, make any observations you can about the two time periods.
A) The Ming Dynasty lost their Northern part of their territory, however the Yuan Dynasty had much more territory conquered. As the time passed, the territory seemed to be increasing in size overall. The Ming Dynasty made success on expanding and building turrets (watchtowers) around the Great Wall however it was repaired on the Qin Dynasty. While the Ming Dynasty was restoring glory, the Yuan Dynasty had not restore any glory.
While reading pages 49-50, explain some of the factors that affected the Chinese attitudes toward foreigners.
A) Due to the Europeans' lack of technology and knowledge of science, Chinese did not consider them as friendly, however, later on they got more close to make Europeans to join the Chinese tribute system.
On p. 53 Menzie notes that the new walled capital was to be "fifteen hundred times the area of walled London at that time and housing fifty times the population". SO, using your math skills, refer to the following map and figure out how big that new capital would be.
A) The new capital would be 75,000km and it could house 2.5 million people.
Compare the map of the great walled capital Zhu Di built (above) to the map of modern China (below). The Forbidden City is now the Palace Museum, and is located at the centre of the map below:
Can you find the old city in the modern city? Where is it? What is there now?
A) The forbidden city inside the imperial city and look for a small, square boxed.
On p. 54, Menzies writes that Zhu Di extended the Great Wall (which is actually many separate sections of wall created over hundreds of years) from 5,000 kms to 6,400 kms. You'll notice, that doesn't mean that the wall was 6,400 kms long. If it WAS, where would it reach if it began at the Yalu River? Use the map in MWH Atlas p A18-19 to estimate where you would end up if the wall really extended 6,400 kms due west of Beijing.
A) The Great Wall was extended 6400km from Beijing, then the Hwang River would last up next to it.
Also on p. 54, Zhu Di sent expeditions along the The "Silk Road", along which Chinese traders journeyed to sell their silks, spices, porcelain and other valuable commodities. This was actually a web of many routes that extended from Xi'an into the heart of the Islamic world. It was clear he wanted to recreate the earlier trading empire of the Chinese.
Question: Through what MODERN countries did the silk roads go?
A) The silk road goes through India, China, Persia, Egypt, and Arabia.
October 7, 2011 C.W
Zheng He's fleet made 7 voyages in all, dying on his last one, in 1433. When his ships returned to China, the political situation had changed dramatically. In fact, soon after the great Treasure Fleet left Tanggu, Zhu Di suffered a series of disasters that suggested to everyone that he had lost the "mandate of heaven" -- the approval of Heaven for his rulership.
When you get to p. 75, read to the bottom of p. 77. Stop at the paragraph beginning "Thereafter the Qazi..." Is there evidence here that Zhu Di truly did not understand what was happening to his rule?
A) Zhu Di did not understand what was happening to his rule because he was poisoned and fell off from the horse. His head was hardly damaged.
Start up again on the bottom of p. 78 (from "Apparently abandoned by heaven..."). List all the things that happened to the old emperor near the end of his life.
A) He was humiliated, distraught and ill, abandoned by heaven, and mounting political problems.
Finally read the edict of the new emperor, Zhu Di's son, Zhu Gaozhi, on the very day he ascended the throne, pp 81-85, beginning "All voyages of the treasure ships are to be stopped." Explain how this edict changed the history of not only China but of the WORLD. How did this leave open the "door" for Europe to take center stage now?
A) If China backs off from the center stage, it would create a great vacuum. China thought that technology was the best to develop on. In specifically, military technology was important.